Nokia launches Windows-based NFC phone

Nokia has unveiled its first Windows-based NFC-enabled handset in Europe, securing contactless payments certification from both Visa and MasterCard for the device.

Orange will be the first operator to offer the Lumia 610 NFC, which has hardware and software enablers for the implementation of NFC payment and ticketing.

The handset has been certified for contactless payments both with MasterCard PayPass technology, and with Visa's payWave, meaning users can tap to pay at the point of sale.

Although the Lumia 610 is Nokia's first Windows-based handset with NFC, the company has rolled out several Symbian Belle-based phones with the technology over the last two years.

Orange has also been pushing contactless payments aggressively throughout Europe, working extensively with another handset maker, Samsung and pledging to ensure built-in NFC functionality for more than half of the new smartphones it sells by 2012.

Ilari Nurmi, head, product marketing, smart devices business unit, Nokia, says: "We're bringing NFC right across our portfolio, and together with our ever-growing range of NFC accessories we're making it easy for people to connect via a single tap. We're also enabling operators and other service providers to build NFC payment and ticketing solutions on top of our smartphones."

Despite its enthusiasm for NFC payments, the Finnish manufacturer has proved itself less keen on other financial services; recently announcing the closure of its mobile money service in India.